MILD TRIGGER WARNING:
This chapter features mentions and use of a recreational substance.
-----------------------
"It was a garbage fire from a long time ago." Charlie was perplexed; Jules was hoping upon hope to trigger a memory in any part of his brain containing mainstream television knowledge. "You really don't know Glee? Seriously? Their lead actress used to be on Broadway. There was a rumor she couldn't read."
Charlie's hand flew up to his mouth to cover what you were all sure would be a spectacular spray as he did his best not to laugh. "I know what you're talking about, but I never watched. I'm a selectively musical person."
"You're awfully musical at home," you teased.
He leaned in so that your bodies were flush against each other; you were almost kissing. "...Where I can be selective about my music." Charlie let out a contented hum as he rubbed his nose against yours.
Jules put her hands between your faces and gingerly moved your heads in opposite directions and let out a heavy sigh. "Oooooookay. I love you both. I do, but if I have keep seeing you participate in this "grope me, kiss me, fuck me" parade, I'm gonna need a lot more than something that tastes like it was poured from someone's unwashed ass." Charlie was reflective. "I don't know about you two, but I'm getting kinda hungry."
You peered back and forth between them. "Should we get out of here?" Jules nodded so hard you thought her head might pop off. "I have a place. They're open late and the food is..." She brought her fingers to her mouth and kissed them. "Chef's kiss."
If you were being honest, you were beginning to feel the pangs of hunger, too, but there was something preventing you from freely agreeing to go forth into the beyond on another grand adventure. You shot her an empty glare; you were skeptical of what she planned next. "Is this another karaoke bar?"
"It's not another karaoke bar," she said, putting up her hands.
"You're sure."
"I'm sure. I've heard enough cats fucking on a fire escape for one night." You glanced over to check in with Charlie who had been staring at you the entire time. He smiled warmly and rubbed his hand over the middle of your back. "What do you think?"
"I don't know much about cats, but anywhere we can get a bite to eat and maybe sit down for a change would be great."
The three of you abandoned the tiny space you'd carved out for yourself in the bar and headed outside. Jules rummaged around in her bag again, pulling out her vape pen for a second time.
"Anybody? Theatre Daddy, can I peer pressure you into a puff?"
"What?"
"Jules."
"Oops."
"Theatre...daddy?" Charlie snickered, his arm tightening around you. Even in the dark, you knew he could tell you were blushing and loving every minute of it.
"Thespian Father? Broadway Baba? Director DILF?"
"Jules."
"Yeah?"
"Please shut the fuck up." Try as you might not to glare daggers in her direction, you were unsuccessful. Charlie, on the other hand, was thoroughly amused. "Do I get to ask what--?"
"No."
"Fair enough."
Jules took a drag and coughed out the excess before holding the pen out to Charlie again. "Come on." He shook his head. She rolled her eyes dramatically and huffed out a breath of irritation before coming closer and putting her head on your shoulder. "Be high with me, bestie."
"I'm okay."
"You can always pass after you puff puff."
"I'm good."
"Fine. Funsuckers."
While you were making D.A.R.E. proud by saying no to drugs, Charlie was standing by the sidewalk's edge making a valiant albeit seemingly fruitless effort to hail a cab. Jules put the vape pen back in her purse and retrieved her phone, possibly to call for one.
"Would it be faster for us to walk wherever you're wanting us to go?" Charlie asked, still hopeful a cab would come your way.
She stared down at the screen of her phone as you closed your jacket and folded your arms up in an attempt to keep warm. "I mean, it's like a 10 minute cab ride or 30 minutes on foot and I'm honestly not up for that."
"What about the subway?" Jules blinked a couple of times, exaggerating each time, and opened them wider. "I think I hit the pen too hard." She was silent, likely trying to get her wits about her. "Yeah, I'm too high for the subway right now."
You shivered where you stood; the wind was picking up and the chill in the air was biting. Charlie instantly took note and made his way back over to you, wrapping his arms around you from behind in an attempt to keep you warm. You leaned your head back against his chest, softly muttering words of gratitude as he pressed a kiss to your temple. The feeling of his body against yours made you want to part ways with Jules and take him home. You let your mind wander to thoughts of getting in bed, losing your clothes, and the many ways Charlie could warm you up.
"I've got you," he whispered, his lips still lingering on your skin.
"Fuck! A cab! Come back!" Jules exclaimed, running toward the street and practically into traffic. She waved like there was no tomorrow to get the driver's attention, but sadly he kept on driving. Luckily for the three of you, the car she walked in front of that was currently laying on its horn happened to be a yellow cab as well.
The three of you made haste getting into the back of the cab; Charlie got in last hoping to sandwich you between him and Jules to keep you toasty for the drive over. Once you were settled, Jules rattled off some cross streets to the driver and got comfortable in her seat.
"So, what is this place exactly?" you posed. Jules tapped on her phone and flashed a restaurant menu. "It's an apology for the shitty beer selection." She looked up from her phone with a sly grin. "That does not mean I'm buying. Just sayin'. They have good beer." She turned up the brightness on her screen so you would actually be able to see the menu. "Underdog."
"I know that place. I've been there--once. It's not bad." You looked up from the screen to catch him staring at you. "Once, huh? Hot date?" You smirked. Jules plucked her phone from your hands and started typing feverishly.
You could feel his body growing tense; was he blushing? It was hard to tell with the lack of light in the backseat. "Blind date, actually," he admitted, abashedly. "But I didn't pick the place. I don't want you to think I have a habit of meeting women in bars."
"Oooh. Lovers quarrel." By now, Jules was documenting the entire conversation for social media.
"You were allowed to date women before me, you know," you muttered. You don't have to be embarrassed."
Charlie studied your face, his eyes darting between your own and your lips. "But hopefully none after."
"And we've hit my gag reflex." Jules brought her phone back down from where she had been holding it up for the 'gram. "Delete. Goodbye. No one's gonna 'heart' that."
As you pulled up to Underdog, you had a passing concern as to whether or not you'd be able to get in. It might have been a gastropub, but anywhere with liquor flowing was sure to be packed. After all, it was Saturday night. The three of you made your way inside; the bar itself was as warm and inviting as it was lively. Conversations hanging in the air around you created a familiar type of white noise, but it wasn't unbearable. From the looks of things, you, Jules, and Charlie would have to work together to find space to sit down.
"I should have planned this better," Jules admitted, taking a peek around. "It's fine." You shrugged and peered over at Charlie who was busying himself with something on his phone. "You okay?" you asked, reaching out to rub his upper arm. He finished what appeared to be a text and immediately put his phone in his pocket. His eyes met yours, a small smile appearing on his face. "Yeah."
For a fleeting moment, you could feel your mind attempting to coax you into its dark recesses. You'd be lying if you said you didn't wonder who he was messaging, but you trusted Charlie wholeheartedly. Truth be told, given the hour, it was probably Henry and you weren't about to fault the man for messaging his own son—especially when he was essentially yours minus a few technicalities. Charlie wasn't even one to have wandering eyes when he came to other women. He had never given you a reason to doubt before and you were not about to let some stupid intrusive thought make you start now.
"Looks like someone's getting up," Charlie said, gesturing in the general direction of the bar. You and Jules peeked over just in time to see someone else sitting down. "Unless we start seeing people leave, we might want to try somewhere else," you reasoned, albeit feeling discouraged.
Jules grinned. "Where's your sense of adventure? We might not be able to sit down yet, but we're sure as fuck gonna drink. A table will open up. Have faith." She shoved her purse at Charlie. "In the meantime..." Her voice trailed off as she shamelessly reached into her shirt, scooping her breasts up so her cleavage was perfect for all to see. You snickered, your eyes
darting over to Charlie who was averting his. A wolf whistle coming from somewhere nearby was quickly met by Jules' middle finger. She gave herself a little shimmy for good luck and snatched the bag from Charlie's large paws. "I'm getting that seat even if it means I have to whip these out for real."
When Jules made up her mind, there was no stopping her. She turned on the spot and headed for the bar, immediately going up to the person sitting atop the coveted barstool covered in plush green velvet. You gazed up at Charlie who was staring down at you. "Are you starving, too?" He chuckled softly and gave his stomach a pat. "Famished. Not quite to where I'd do unspeakable things for a mozzarella stick, but I'm getting there." The smirk on his face was as cute as ever and it made you blush. You loved how he could get to you so easily.
"Unspeakable things, huh?" you teased. "Oh yeah." Charlie moved in closer, leaning down with a mischievous grin on his face. "You like marinara, baby?" You burst into a fit of giggles, Charlie following suit, and you closed the distance between your lips. He lingered on your mouth before pulling away with a look of affection.
"Will you be alright if I run to find a restroom?" You nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back. When I get out, I'll see if I can grab a menu or two."
While you were watching him walk away and taking in the view, Jules began waving you over. A seat next to her had opened up at the bar. You hurried as quickly as you could, willing other patrons to pardon you as you passed through. You stifled a giggle once you approached; a guy chatting up the girl one stool down nearly swiped your seat until she hissed at him. It went without saying he wasn't keen on being next to her after that.
"You should stick your tits out more," Jules said, matter of fact. "Boobs equal free booze."
You scoffed playfully. "I don't think a certain someone would appreciate that."
She cocked her head, preparing to giving you full sass. "And I don't think a certain person wants to pay another $12 for a craft beer. Titties out."
You laughed. "I'm keeping my boobs exactly where they are."
The barrage of people waiting to order drinks was enough to try anyone's patience. While you admired Jules for her bravery and wit, you were more keen on waiting your turn than committing indecent exposure. Eventually one of the bartenders made his way over to grab a shaker. "You ladies been helped yet?" he said, showing off his flair while long pouring gin. "Nope," Jules piped up with a smirk. "And we're parched too." The bartender grinned, his eyes flickering between your respective breasts and faces. "Well, let's fix that, shall we?" He poured the drinks into two glasses and gestured for us to give him a minute while he served them up to a couple sitting on the other side of the bar. He wiped his mitts on a bar towel once he made it back to you.
"So...What'll it be?" He pushed a menu between you, his body hovering slightly as you both leaned in to get a better look. "If you see something you wanna try, but are unsure about--let me know. I can always make you two a tasting flight."
Your skimmed over the menu. "I don't see that on here anywhere. How much is that?" you asked. You felt a sharp pang in your ribcage: Jules giving you a not so subtle hint to shut the fuck up. The bartender smirked and shook his head. Jules reached out to stroke his forearm. "Oh, I like you. A man out to quench my thirst." His stare lingered on you for a moment longer before he turned to wink at Jules, gingerly rubbing his hand over hers.
As flattering as it was to be seen, his unsolicited gaze left you feeling unsettled. You took a deep breath and returned to the task at hand--finding something to drink. You wound up ordering a strawberry G&T and a vanilla espresso martini, both of which Charlie would enjoy. Jules was looking forward to her peanut butter Manhattan. As bartender #3 wandered off to retrieve the ingredients necessary to create your beverage order, you fished your phone out of your purse. Charlie had been in the bathroom for 20 minutes. You quickly typed up a text and pressed send.
You: Did you fall in? ;)
You: All joking aside, are you okay? We were able to get drinks, but no luck with a table just yet.
5 more minutes went by and nothing. You briefly contemplated abandoning your post to go check to see if he was standing out. Maybe he went to smoke. It was possible. You turned in your seat; you were scanning the restaurant in search of signage for the restrooms when you finally spotted him.
There stood Charlie. He was near one of the booths with square tables and, from the looks of it, was deep in conversation. The woman standing in front of him playfully hit his upper arm and he laughed. "I'll be right back, okay?" Jules had been staring at the ass of bartender #3 and barely registered what you said. "What? Wait. Where are you going?" She asked as you rose from your seat. You gestured in Charlie's direction and left your purse with her to save your seat. "Oh shit," Jules muttered, an air of panic in her voice. She said your name; you knew it was in hopes of getting you to stay and calm down before walking over. You didn't want to be illogical, but it was hard not to be when a shitty situation was seemingly unfolding right in front of your face.
As you approached, the woman in front of him leaned in and gave Charlie a firm embrace. You could feel your heart threatening to jump into the pit of your stomach. It was like happening upon the wreckage of a terrible car accident; as much as you didn't want to see it, you couldn't look away. You were transfixed on the sight before you. Charlie whispered something into the woman's ear before pulling away and once their bodies were totally free of each other, that's when he saw you. Despite clocking his full body going rigid, he smiled. "Uh, hi, sweetheart," he replied. His tone was pleasant with a touch of uncertainty.
You could feel the muscles in your shoulders and jaw begin to tighten up. "Hi honey. Who's your friend?" Before he could respond, the woman spun around, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Hi Little Bit." Rather than stopping or taking a leap of no faith at all, your heart kept on beating.
"Nina?"
You felt like you were standing in the middle of a fireworks display. As flabbergasted as you were to see your sister standing there, you were also fucking relieved. You stood silently as you waited for the secondhand embarrassment of your own jealousy to come over you.
"What are you doing here?" you asked, still perplexed that you wound up at the same place on the same night.
"I'm here with Dan..." She gestured to the black wood paneled booth where a large, attractive man was sitting alone, making sure no one made off with any of the stools. Dan, who was mid-sip, sat his glass down and offered you a polite wave. "Hi." Nina continued, moving to give Charlie a side hug. "...and I ran into this guy coming out of the bathroom."
"Oh," you replied, your voice a little softer from embarrassment. The muscles in your back began to loosen up. Charlie was focused on something beside you. "You guys good over here?" Jules asked, bumping shoulders with you. "We're---great," Charlie replied, more confidently.
You turned to Jules. "Nina's here," you said, trying to sound enthusiastic despite your befuddlement.
"And Dan," Dan said somewhat loudly as he waved at Jules who gave him a nod of acknowledgement. "Uh huh." She stood there saying nothing like a bump on a log, but her eyes were giving her away. It was a look of consternation she often had at work when a joke was giving her issues. "Man. Wow. So, that's cool," Jules said, finally. "We're here. You guys are here. We're all here. At the same place. On a Saturday night." She began wringing her hands together. "I mean, the city is big and we're all in it and we wound up at the same place at the same time on a Saturday night. That's...yeah, that's cool. That. Is. Cool--"
"Jules," Charlie interjected softly, smiling. She made eye contact with him and he shook his head. Nina and Dan, too, fell silent. "Yeah, okay." You weren't sure what was going on, but the longer you stood there, the more it felt like something was afoot and the whole lot of them were in on it.
Nina moved away from Charlie and went to take a seat by Dan. The table beside theirs had just paid up so Jules took it upon herself to steal the stools for your own. Charlie stayed put for a moment before he stepped in to kiss your cheek. He sat on the empty stool beside you and reached out to take your hand, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing over your knuckles. You huffed out a breath.
"You okay?" Charlie asked, leaning over slightly. "I feel like I need a decoder ring to be able to interpret what's going on."
"Something's going on?" Jules asked, suspiciously nonchalant. "What's--what's going on?" You could see Charlie tap his mouth with his opposite hand, but as you turned to face him he began rubbing his upper lip.
You sat there quietly, worrying your lip for a minute and carefully considering what you were going to say next. "I'm just going to say it," you stated calmly. "This kinda feels like gaslighting." The panic on Charlie's face was enough to start a fire under the others. Charlie opened his mouth only to be cut off by Jules. "Barbles..."
Charlie waved a hand and offered her a reassuring smile. "No, it's okay." He was focused on your hand again and the way it fit within his own. His thumb grazed over your ring finger and he took a deep breath. "We are orchestrating something," he explained. "But none of it is anything we're keeping from you. I know it may seem like some big secret, but at the end of the day, the secret is for you."
You softened as Charlie studied your face. "Can I ask what the secret is?" He huffed out a laugh, his eyes seeming to twinkle in the light. "It's a surprise," he said. "It might be a work surprise or a personal one, but that's all I can say." And just like that, everything completely changed. Everything felt so much lighter. You scanned around the table, taking in each face, all of them nodding in support of Charlie's confession. "Why's Nina--Nina, why are you here?"
"She's helping," Charlie interjected. Nina gave you a smile. "I am."
"And Dan?" you asked, gesturing in his direction.
Dan snickered. "I'm here with Nina." You tittered quietly and finally turned to Jules whose countenance appeared resolute. She always was one to go down with the ship if it meant saving herself in the process. "And you?"
Jules shrugged and nodded nonchalantly. "Me too, but only because I want to be totally sure Barbles doesn't fuck anything up...."
Charlie laughed. "Oh, I need all the help I can get." He brought his hand over yours again in an attempt to bring you back to him. He knew you were feeling overwhelmed. You stared down at the tabletop, studying the back of his hand, taking in every wrinkle and vein. You noted how it encompassed yours in a way that was fiercely protective. Everything about Charlie was when it came to you. You rotated your hand until you were palm to palm and interlocked your fingers with his. It was so small by comparison and it was--you felt similarly when you were nestled in bed beside him or wrapped up in his arms. The sounds of the pub grew louder as a group sitting bar burst out into a fit of raucous laughter.
Your ears also took in the sound of a familiar voice: it was the bartender from earlier. "Found ya!" He was carrying a tray of drinks along with what appeared to be a couple of appetizers. He made his way over to you with a wink and stood between you and Charlie; one by one he removed things from the large tray and unloaded them onto your table. "Sliders and fries are on the house. You ladies looked like you could use some grub." He placed the drinks in front of you and Jules; he lingered on your face as he went to straighten up. "Before I forget, did either of you leave your bag at the bar?" You jerked your head in Jules' direction in time to see her incriminating demeanor. "What happened to watching my purse?" You asked, keeping your tone in check. He laughed and squeezed your shoulder. "Don't get too angry. I put it behind the bar the moment she got up. Sit pretty. I'll bring it over." There wasn't time to speak up. No time for "please don't touch mes". The damage had been done.
As he walked away, you gingerly slid the strawberry G&T in Charlie's direction. Dan's emotions were on his face, earning him an elbow to the side from Nina while she helped herself to the fries. Jules reached for a slider and toyed with the skewer piercing the middle holding the full thing together. You took a sip of your own cocktail. All the while you were observing Charlie fiddling with the garnish in his drink. He must have felt your eyes on him. He looked up from his beverage, studying you staring back at him.. His expression was a mix of amusement and irritation.
You mildly cleared your throat. You were afraid to ask, but did anyway; you already knew the answer. "Everything okay?" Charlie appeared a little surprised as he huffed out a breath. He lifted his beverage to take a sip, his eyes narrowing just slightly as the liquid passed over his lips. "Everything's just fine," he replied, setting his drink down, but holding onto the glass. You swirled your espresso martini in its glass, nearly sloshing it onto the table. The five of you sat in an uncomfortable silence until Nina tried to make things better. "Fries are good," she muttered, dipping another one into the tiny accompanying ramekin of remoulade. You were examining your own hands and the liquor yet to be consumed. As tempted as you were to knock it back, you knew it might be in your best interest not to drink it at all. You glanced up only to see Charlie staring back at you. The irritation had morphed into something else you couldn't place. He pressed his lips together and shook his head disapprovingly.
"Charlie, I--"
"Okay!" The bartender was back; he had your purse in one hand and a plate in the other. "I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to bring you some mac and cheese bites. Our kitchen staff is new and I keep tellin' them not to keep making doubles of orders, but I guess their screw up is your gain, huh?" He flashes a megawatt smile and lets your bag dangle in front of you. "Almost forgot." As you reached out for it, he raised it higher in what you could only assume was an attempt to be playful. "I'm just kidding," he said, letting out a laugh. "Here you go."
You took your purse from him, saying nothing and feeling uncomfortable. He squatted down to your level, blocking your view of Charlie. "I'm Jed by the way," he said, extending his hand. "I know this is super forward, but I'm off in 30 and would love to take you for a bite." His vision flickered down to your breasts and back up to your face.
Although his face was hidden, Charlie's hand was in clear view. You watched as his long fingers visibly tightened around the glass. "I don't know what I said to you to give you any impression that I was, but I'm really not interested or available." Jed reached out and gave your arm a friendly albeit creepy stroke. "Alright," he said, putting his hands up. "Fair enough, but I'm not asking for a commitment." His persistence was as aggressive as it was repellant. "How about a bathroom quickie as a 'thank you' for the food."
"We didn't even fucking ask for any of this," you said, gesturing to the now half-eaten plates of food. Jed scoffed, now standing upright, and gawked down at your breasts again. "Maybe you didn't, but your tits sure did." Charlie stood up silently and put his hand on his shoulder. "She said she's not interested. She's certainly not available. And her outfit isn't capable of speech."
"Nobody fucking asked you, dipshit." Jed whipped around and no sooner than he did, it was painfully apparent he wasn't anticipating the owner of the voice to tower over him the way Charlie did.You hadn't realized he was on the shorter side compared to Charlie until you saw them next to each other. It was kind of comical. Charlie studied Jed; he was totally stoic and seemingly inviting him to say another word. Jed glared up at him and shifted his weight, his new widened stance oozing false bravado. "Am I supposed to be intimidated by you or something?" Charlie shrugged, his face unchanged. "I don't know. Are you?" Jed puffed his chest and moved in closer. "I'm guessing you're the boyfriend since you're stepping up like this." "He's more than that," you piped up earning a small smirk from the man you loved. "Whatever."
Charlie took a step back, creating space. "You owe her an apology." Jed squinted at you and scoffed. "I'm not doing shit." He turned back to Charlie. "I'm not apologizing just because some bitch came in asking for it and I was willing to give it to her. She's not special." You could see Charlie's hand slowly balling into a fist as Jed laughed. "You look like you wanna hit me."
It was written all over his face. It was a quiet rage slowly beginning to boil beneath his skin. You had never known Charlie to be violent, but the last time this particular expression crossed his face he was standing in front of Alan. "She's not a bitch and you don't know a damn about her," he said, calmly. "Sure, she is." Jed could see it too. It was as if he wanted Charlie to hit him, like getting punched in the face would (for once in his life) make him the bigger man.
"You wanna hit me, don't you?" Jed spat. Charlie chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head. "Well come on, big guy. Fuckin' hit me."
Jules tapped your arm and motioned to the small crowd of onlookers who had gathered due to the commotion. A couple of them had their phones at the ready; a few of the same shouting encouragement for Charlie to give them a brawl worthy of posting online. "Charlie, you don't have to do this," you uttered cautiously. You didn't think Charlie would actually slug the guy, but with his temper brewing, you knew anything was possible. You stood up moving closer to the chaos unfolding. "Honey..." You could see his temper lessened more and more as he stared in your direction. "Let's go home."
The rest of the table rose in solidarity with you and parts of the huddled mass began losing interest. You reached up and began lovingly rubbing over Charlie's upper arm. "Come on."
"Yeah, okay."
Your hand slid down his arm until his fit fingers interlocked with yours, fitting your hand like a glove. He let you lead him out of the bar; Nina, Dan, and Jules were following close behind. The moment the air hit Charlie's face, he let go of your hand so he could dig in his own pockets.
"I should've fucking hit him," he said, fumbling with the pack of cigarettes he pulled out of his slacks. He searched his jacket for a lighter and growled with frustration when he came up empty. You unzipped your purse and pulled out one yourself. You could see the tension leaving his shoulders despite the comfort and confusion on his face. "Did you take up smoking?" His brow was adorably furrowed with concern. "No, I didn't start smoking, but I did buy a couple of these since you kept losing yours."
He sighed as he brought the cigarette to his lips. "Thank you. I left my zippo in my other jacket." "Try pants," you said, half smiling. "I found it in the washer." Charlie's mouth gaped open; the cigarette dangled from his bottom lip before he plucked it from his mouth. "Shit. I'll check my pockets better next time. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. It wouldn't light when I took it out so it's either waterlogged or needs more fluid. Either way, we can fix it." He sighed and brought the cigarette back up to his lips.You motioned for him to lean down and he obliged. The wind outside was even more biting than before and not doing anyone any favors; Charlie used his hands to block the gusts threatening to blow out the flame once you rolled the striker into the chamber and finally got a spark. He straightened once his cigarette was lit and took a long drag. Nina, Dan, and Jules were huddled together a little ways down the sidewalk, likely giving you both space and time to talk.
Charlie waved away the cloud of smoke that threatened to consume you as he exhaled. "Can I ask something?
You rocked back on your heels. "You just did," you said, half smiling. "Very funny," Charlie muttered, taking another puff. "Go for it."
"When I was talking to Nina earlier and you came over..." his voice trailed off, his face growing pensive like he was searching for the right words to say. "Did you really think I was chatting up another woman?"
You could feel the heat rushing to your cheeks. You wish you could say it was from the cold and maybe, in reality, you could blame a part of it on the fact that you couldn't feel your face. But in that moment, you knew it wasn't anything of the sort. The embarrassment weighed heavy on your heart and your body wasn't about to let you off so easily.
"I think I just got scared," you admitted. Charlie's brow stitched together with incertitude. "Of?" You shrugged. "I...I don't know. Losing you to...I don't fucking know. I don't know. It was stupid. I trust you wholeheartedly. I know you love me. I never think you'd do anything to hurt me or us..."
"But?" Charlie exhaled, blowing smoke out the side of his mouth.
"Seeing you talking to her--Nina, before I knew it was her, fear outweighed my inner voice of reason. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I know the way I came over probably made me seem like a crazy person, but..."
"You didn't seem like a crazy person," he interjected. Much to your surprise, when you stared up at Charlie, his gaze was filled with understanding. "No crazier than someone willing to throw a punch for the woman he loves."
You took a deep breath, willing your body to exhale the stress as the wind began to pick up again. "I'm sorry about that too. I don't know why any of that happened."
"Why does anything happen?" Charlie retorted, looking for the best place to extinguish the end of his smoke. "I might not have been around when you were at the bar, but I didn't need to be. I know you and the current state of our relationship. I know you didn't lead him on. And I hope it goes without saying, but the trust you mentioned earlier holds just as much weight on my end as it does for you. Hurting the people you care about isn't in your nature."
As you listened to Charlie, you shivered. He threw the snuffed butt into a nearby trash can and opened his jacket; his hand wrapped around your forearm and he pulled you close. Your arms wrapped around his body underneath the fabric of his coat and he pulled the material closed, cocooning you inside with him. You craned your neck to peer up at the man sharing his body heat. "I love you so much," you said, earnestly. Charlie gazed back affectionately. "I love you too."
You stood on your tiptoes for a kiss and he giggled, tilting his head down to oblige you. As your lips touched, a thick fragrance swirled in your nostrils. You could taste the smoke on Charlie's lips, but this was something else. It was when you heard you giggles you knew for certain: It was weed. You and Charlie both turned in time to see Jules, Nina, and Dan passing around her vape pen. Charlie's arms came around you tighter and his nose brushed against the shell of your ear. "I think they might be a little high." He laughed softly and kissed the side of your head.
You tittered and turned to peer up at him again . "Just a little." The three of them wandered over; Jules and Dan were still passing the pen back and forth. Nina came over and hugged you from behind, lying her head on your back. "Group hugs are the best hugs," she said, a mellow kind of sing-song way. She hummed contentedly and tried reaching all the way around you both. You tried your best not to laugh as Charlie began to squirm. Nina's fingers were poking him in the sides. "I can't reach," Nina proclaimed. You could tell she was pouting by her tone. She squeezed the best she could anyway.
Jules came over and joined the love pile. "Who smells so good? You guys smell so great. Barbles? Is that you? If one of you farted, I'mma be really mad, but for now, this is great."
Charlie snorted and burst out laughing. "Stop laughing at me, you gangly treeperson."
You, too, found yourself shaking with laughter and Nina soon joined in. Dan was standing by on the sidewalk and snapped a photo of the four of you on his phone. "You really are freakishly tall," Jules said, stepping away. You peered up at Charlie who was staring down at you; Nina was still behind you, sandwiching you together. She gave you one last squeeze and sighed, pulling away.
"I can't wait for you two to get married."
You turned to her, a little shocked. "Nina," you replied, giggling nervously and nodding in Charlie's direction for her to knock it off. "Yeah, Nina. Shut the fuck up." Jules muttered through gritted teeth.
"What? She loves him. He loves her. They're gonna get married," Nina replied, matter of fact, as she wrung her hands together all too happily. "You're gonna get married." Unfortunately you couldn't tell how serious she was; you'd never seen Nina high or knew if she'd even smoked before tonight and that was making it all the more difficult to determine if it was your sister's logic or if she was stoned out of her mind.
"You're gonna get married and Charlie's gonna propose, right Charlie?"
You glanced in his direction only to find him standing a little awkwardly; his hands were now shoved into his pockets as he gave you a shrug and laughed. "You never know with me."
Jules cleared her throat. "Where the fuck did Dan go?" No sooner than you began your search, he appeared, holding a large pizza box. "I found pizza!" Dan proudly declared, approaching you all as he tried to catch his breath. "I found pizza. They were closing so they gave it to me for free. Have some!" Dan opened the pizza box and shoved it toward you. "You don't have to tell me twice to grab a free slice," Jules said, pushing past you and reaching into the box. Even Charlie, to your surprise, reached over you to pull out a piece for himself.
You stood idly by, watching as they all nibbled on their respective slices. Charlie offered you a bite of his own, a delectably cheesy quarter of his slice remaining, but you waved it away with a smile. Although, deep down, you knew there was far more going on the evening revealed, there was one thing you knew for sure: Whatever the big secret was, whatever was in store, if only just for now, it wasn't yours to know.
---------------------
Thank you again so much for sticking around! I hope this two part update didn't disappoint. I'm actively working on the next chapters so I can try to get more content out for you. I also wanted to let you know I see every comment, every like, and every favorite and each one warms my heart. You guys keep me going as much as Charlie does and I'm grateful for every single one of you.
Thank you so much for 35K! Holy shit! How did we get here?! Lol Thank you to every person who has told me you've liked it so much you've read it twice (and three and four times). Thank you for all of the kind messages.
I'm so excited for you all to see where this story is going and I hope you are too.
Did you know you can visit real locations from the fic, make the recipes, and listen to the music that inspired the story? Happy Musical Everything is your interactive guide to take you through the fic in real life. (Guide is exclusively on Wattpad)
If you want more Reader/Charlie - I highly recommend The Chronicles of Dad while you wait.
Keep in touch! I post tons of Charlie content on Tiktok and Instagram as well as Twitter. You can find me on all of them @vividlittlevox. ❤️❤️❤️
Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6flLWjKh66LVgz4et1ox5M?si=f6eeb87134f64876
Love you all!